Tasha Sews

Pattern Review: Simplicity 8216 Hello, I am back with my 2nd of my #2018MakeNine challenge! I have a ready to wear shirt in my wardrobe with a neck tie and it is one of my most worn items. I have been on the lookout for sewing patterns to replicate it and decided to try Simplicity 8216 .  For this top I chose view D, but with the neck tie and minus the pocket. I cut a size 14 and made no changes except to add an inch onto the length. As mentioned in other reviews there is a pattern drafting error in the neck facing. It is annoying, but you can work round it. It is a shame as it is could easily stump beginner sewers, which is why I wouldn't class this as an 100% easy pattern.  I bought this floral crepe fabric in the January sales in John Lewis for around £5-7 per metre (I can't remember the exact price). I snapped up a whole bunch of fabrics (12 metres in total!) that were on their 3rd price reduction.It was a dream to sew with and has a lovely drape that i...

PATTERN REVIEW - SIMPLICITY 1884 (again...) I shall keep this one brief as both the pattern and the fabric are things that have been posted about recently. As I mentioned in my last post  I had enough fabric left over from the dress to knock up this top previously blogged about  here.   In case you missed out on the fabric info in my last post, I used some jersey picked up from Simply Fabrics in Brixton. I have a special place in my heart for Simply Fabrics. It is true that there is a real mix of fabrics (and quality) but it is the perfect place to pick up fabric for wearable muslins as it is so cheap. I pretty much made it up exactly the same as last time, I only made some minor changes. These are:- Omitted the tie in the front Lengthened the front and back by 2" Used rolled hems instead of bias binding (as I sewed this pattern with a stretch fabric) Front & back close-up The only thing that I will have in mind next time I a...

Pattern Review - Simplicity 1884 Looks as though I am still on an instant gratification rush. I cut this top  out last week and finished it on Monday night in time for my birthday celebrations on Tuesday. This pattern was very simple. It consists of 5 pieces and fitting is very simple, I sewed this straight out of the envelope, cutting a medium (size 14-16).  The fabric is a lovely silky satin that was a present from my godmother when visiting France last May. It  is quite slippery and live, which probably added a little bit of extra time to the construction process, as did the french seams. I finished the hem and armholes with bias binding. I used sew in interfacing for the collar as I had run out of iron-on and am having a stash-busting January. However, I think that this works really well with the floatiness of the fabric and stops the collar being too stiff.  I think that I prefer this tucked in? Or maybe I like that this top looks nice...

Simplicity 2690 After needing a quick fix, I decided to go with an easy top that I could whip up in a few hours. Obviously, this didn't go exactly to plan... For some ridiculous reason I read the reviews on Pattern Review after I cut out the top, and a couple of people mentioned that the front bodice is cut a little small if you are larger than a C cup in the bust. I ummed and ahhed for a while and then decided to re-cut the front bodice and modesty panel adding 2". To make the pattern fit I graded the bodice pieces from the same length as the back bodice at the sides. So the shape of the empire line seam is more of a W than an upside down V. On the plus side - the fit is perfect. I guess that the only change that I would make would be to possibly make the sleeve depth shorter as it is quite deep and there is a slight risk of it not being bra friendly. I was worried that the empire line elastic and gathering would bulk at the tummy, but it's fine. ...